Chapter 19 - Butterscotch Bread


The trio had finally left Saffron City, and they were off for Yurie's next contest. It was set to be in a place called Lavender Town, and while Logan and Yurie looked forward to what was ahead, Seshiru appeared slightly uncomfortable with heading that way.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked as Seshiru slowly followed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Seshiru shrugged her shoulders. "When you put it that way, you're not entirely wrong. I just think the less time spent in Lavender, the better."

"Then we'll do my contest and get out!" Yurie exclaimed happily. "I'm about to get my third ribbon!"

"Do you know what Pokémon you'll be working with this time around?" Logan asked. "You've got a full team to choose from, so I'm excited to see what you'll do."

"I haven't decided yet, but I'd like to maybe battle with Turtwig. For my appeal, I have no idea," Yurie said. She thought about the six Pokémon that she now had and then looked down to Torchic. "It's been awhile since Torchic has battled. I'm worried that he'll get lazy."

"Torchic!"

"Maybe lazy was a bad word."

Logan laughed. "It must be hard to choose who to use. Some of your Pokémon like to battle while others enjoy doing the appeals. But you have to keep them rotating or else your opponents will figure you out."

"The balance is so difficult," Yurie said. "I really don't know who to go with. I haven't even given any time to practice with Eevee."

Logan rubbed the back of his head and then looked around. "Well, we're in a relatively open field. Why don't we have some practice battles?"

Yurie pulled her Pokédex from her bag. "I wonder what moves Eevee even has."

Seshiru stepped forward. "Since she just hatched, she probably has Tackle, Covet, and Helping Hand."

Yurie paused and then looked at her friend. "Oh wow. How did you know that?"

Seshiru sighed and then shrugged. "I guess I just know Kanto Pokémon really well."

Yurie lifted her Poké Ball and then released her newest addition. Eevee appeared and then playfully ran to Torchic. She brushed her ears against the Fire-type playfully. Yurie then scanned the Normal-type.

"You were right!" Yurie said. "But it also looks like she has a move called Detect."

"Detect?" Seshiru wondered.

"What's Detect?" Yurie asked.

"It'll let Eevee avoid any attack. It works similar to Protect," Logan explained. "I figured we can have a battle. My Charmander still needs some work. I taught him a new move, and he is having a bit of trouble with it."

Yurie nodded, and she ran to the opposite side of the field. Eevee and Torchic eagerly followed. She then grabbed her remaining Poké Balls, and one by one, she released her Pokémon so they could watch the battle. Minun, Turtwig, Squirtle, and Oddish all looked on, ready to cheer for their teammate.

"Go, Charmander!" Logan yelled while throwing his ball into the air.

Charmander emerged, and he looked around. Being out in the open had given him some relief, and he relaxed his shoulders, but then he looked out in front of him, noticing that Eevee was ready for battle. Although the Eevee was much younger and weaker than Charmander, he was still nervous.

"Do your best, Charmander!" Yurie cheered. "You too, Eevee!"

"Char…"

"Swee!"

"Charmander, start with Ember!" Logan ordered once the two Pokémon got into position.

Charmander looked towards Eevee, and he opened his mouth. With one singular cough, he tried to release the fire from within, but only a single trail of smoke came out.

"A Fire-type that can't use Fire-type moves," Logan muttered under his breath. "What do we do?"

"Tackle!" Yurie ordered.

There was a fire in Eevee's eyes, and she darted down the field, as though she were already prepared to fight. She crashed into Charmander as hard as she could, but her power was clearly not as strong as she had hoped. She ricocheted off of Charmander and then fell back to the ground. When she stood back up, she shook her body, attempting to get the dirt out of her fur.

Charmander, who had barely taken any real damage from the attack, held at his arm and screeched as though it had been broken. He cried out in pain and then looked at Eevee with hatred in his eyes.

"We need that kind of intensity!" Logan said. "Fire Spin!"

Now it was a different story. Charmander huffed before unleashing a stream of fire from his mouth. The stream swirled, ready to surround Eevee.

"Let's try Detect!"

There was a bright sparkle in Eevee's eyes, and she was quick, ducking under the Fire Spin like she had read the attack perfectly.

"Eevee is a natural. She either enjoys battling or simply doesn't want to get hit," Seshiru said. "Amazing."

"Now Tackle!"

From under the flames, Eevee emerged. She rammed her head one more time into Charmander, knocking him backwards. He fell onto his back and rolled, but he was now quick to get back up. Adrenaline was running through his veins, and for a moment, he forgot that there were others watching the battle.

"It's the only thing we can do," Yurie said. "One more Tackle!"

"Fight back with Thunder Punch!" Logan ordered.

Before Eevee could get in close, Charmander let out a shriek, closed his eyes, and swung his fist. Now electrified with sparks, the attack was much stronger than anyone had anticipated it could be, and Eevee was flung across the field. Her body rolled in front of Yurie's feet before she went limp.

"I guess that's all for Eevee," Seshiru said, functioning as a sort of referee. "Charmander wins."

Yurie knelt down and lifted her Eevee into her arms. "I'm sorry, Eevee, but I guess we have to start somewhere."

Logan ran towards Charmander, who was now beginning to cool down. He kept his eyes clamped shut while the electricity faded away from his claw. Logan bent over and softly put his hand on Charmander's head. The Fire-type opened his eyes, and his posture relaxed when he found his trainer's calm smile. But then, Charmander collapsed forward, fainting suddenly.

Logan sighed before returning Charmander back to his Poké Ball. "I guess that all of that stress really wore you out, huh?" He looked up at Yurie who held onto Eevee tightly. "I didn't know the attack was going to be that intense. I'm sorry about that."

Yurie shook her head. "It's okay. We were all surprised."

"Turtwig!" Yurie's Pokémon cried as he ran onto the field.

"You want to battle too?" Yurie asked. Turtwig responded by scraping her front paw against the ground. "I guess I'm not surprised."

"Mind if I get in on this one?" Seshiru asked. She stepped forward while tossing a Poké Ball up and down in her hand. "I noticed that our Pokémon don't necessarily get along, and I think a good battle could change that."

Yurie had battled with Turtwig a few times, and she underwent a lot of training with Himawari to get the Grass-type ready for contests, but she wasn't sure if Turtwig had what it took to take on Seshiru and her highly experienced Pokémon. "Um…"

"Turt!" her Pokémon cried out. "Turtwig!"

"Yeah! Alright! Let's do this!"

Seshiru grinned and then threw her Poké Ball forward. Her mighty Poliwrath emerged, and he flexed his muscles. He looked down at Turtwig and glared, remembering the day when they had their small battle for the Squirtle.

"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!"

"Turt!" the Pokémon screeched while jumping into the air. She rotated her head, releasing a flurry of leaves forward.

"Ice Punch!" Seshiru ordered.

With one quick jab, Poliwrath thrusted ice energy forward. The energy overcame the leaves, freezing them and making them fall to the ground. Poliwrath then looked at Turtwig directly in the eyes, preparing for Seshiru's next command.

"Waterfall!"

Poliwrath smacked his two massive hands together, and aquatic energy started to encircle them. He ran forward and lowered his hands, ready to uppercut Turtwig into oblivion.

"Double Team!" Yurie yelled.

Before Poliwrath could get close enough to strike, Turtwig multiplied and circled around him. The clones moved at a fast pace, ensuring that Poliwrath couldn't determine the real one.

"And now Energy Ball!"

The clones all opened their mouths, and green balls began to form. They all let out one cry before unleashing them towards the middle where Poliwrath stood.

"Psychic!"

Poliwrath held out his arms and quickly focused. He sent out his psychic energy, putting a stop to one singular Energy Ball. The others continued on, phasing right through Poliwrath without doing any damage. Poliwrath began to chuckle to himself, and he looked at the real Turtwig before focusing his energy once more, freezing Turtwig in place.

"Perfect," Seshiru said. "Waterfall!"

Poliwrath clapped his hands together once again before charging forward. He collided with Turtwig directly this time, sending her flying backwards. She crashed into the ground hard, covered by the dust that came from the force of her fall.

"Turtwig!" Yurie yelled.

She could have gone for Ice Punch, but maybe that would have been overkill. Poliwrath is really strong, Logan thought.

The dust began to fade away, and to everyone's shock, Turtwig tried to stand up. She growled as she came back to her feet, and through one eye, she shot a glare at Poliwrath. With one more battle cry, energy started to radiate from her body, and she began to glow a bright white. Her body began to shift and grow, taking a new form. The light then exploded off of her, revealing her new form.

Her yellow shell now covered the entirety of her back, neck, and tail, and she had two tufts of dark green bush coming out of either side. She continued her glare at Poliwrath before crying out, "Grotle!"

"Grotle, the Grove Pokémon. It lives along water in forests. In the daytime, it leaves the forest to sunbathe its treed shell. It knows where pure water wells up. It carries fellow Pokémon there on its back," Yurie's Pokédex rang in its robotic voice.

"Amazing," Yurie said.

"It's like a whole new battle is waiting for us," Seshiru exclaimed happily. "Grotle surely is amazing."

"Let's keep fighting!" Yurie declared. "Grotle, hit him with an Energy Ball!"

"Grotle!" she cried out while unleashing one more ball of energy from her mouth.

"Ice Punch!"

Poliwrath shifted back and then lunged, his fist covered with an icy mist, easily shattering the energy ball. Poliwrath then chuckled once more while he slowly cocked his wrists.

"Grotle is going to be better off using physical attacks, Yurie!" Logan said. "Energy Ball won't do as much."

"More physical?" Yurie wondered. "In that case, use Superpower!"

Grotle's body was engulfed with explosive red energy. She ran her two front feet against the ground before charging forward, ripping up the field.

"I like it!" Seshiru exclaimed. "Fight back with Dynamic Punch!"

Poliwrath held his ground, and chakra began to pour into his fist. He lifted it and swung as Grotle came into range. The two Pokémon collided, and the chemicals of their attacks mixed, causing an explosion to surround them with smoke. The trainers patiently waited, but then slowly, Grotle emerged from the smoke. Her legs were wobbly, and she couldn't seem to find her right footing.

"What?" Yurie wondered.

"Confusion, baby," Seshiru said.

"No! Get out of there!" Yurie yelled.

But it was too late, as Seshiru gave her command, "Waterfall!"

Poliwrath knelt down and then uppercutted, sending Grotle backwards. Her body scraped against the ground as she tumbled away, and when she finally ceased rolling, the results were clear; Grotle had fainted.

"Ah," Yurie muttered before running onto the field. Her Pokémon all followed and they surrounded the Grass-type who was now coming back to consciousness. "You did good. We just need to work harder."

Seshiru and Poliwrath approached the group. Seshiru smiled and then winked at Grotle. "You're a strong one. Resilient to say the least."

Then, Poliwrath knelt down, and he stuck his hand out to Grotle. The Grass-type appeared slightly dazed from the previous blow, but then once she realized what Poliwrath was doing, she smiled. She extended her head and let Poliwrath pet her.


That night, the group camped out on Route 8. For the first time since they started their journey with Seshiru, her Pokémon joined theirs. Floatzel played with Squirtle, Minun, and Charmander, allowing them to chase her tail. Kingler enjoyed tests of strength with Nidorino and Mightyena, who competed to see who was stronger. Nidorino always lost, but it only drove him more and more. Poliwrath sat next to Grotle, and the two reflected on their battle. And Quagsire sat away from the group alongside Snorlax. The Normal-type was still salty about the battle with Natsume, but she was hungry, so she would behave.

Oddish watched closely as Logan made food for the Pokémon. And Torchic never left Yurie's side while she made food for the trainers. She had to balance holding Eevee in her arms, who seemed to want attention 100% of the time. Torchic was slightly jealous.

"It looks like everyone is starting to get along," Seshiru said. "Nothing a friendly battle won't fix, ne."

"I kind of get it," Yurie said quietly. "I sometimes felt a bit closer to my siblings after a good fight with them. I can't explain it."

"I barely spent any time with my little brother," Logan muttered. "I wouldn't know."

"You have a little brother?" Seshiru asked.

"Yeah," he said while he poured some of the food into a bowl. He handed the first bowl to Oddish before preparing the rest. "Parents divorced, and he went with mom."

"Interesting," Seshiru said. "I have an older brother, but he's a businessman. He was terrible at Pokémon battles."

Logan knelt down and smiled at Grotle. "You did good today. Keep it up, and you'll be the strongest member on Yurie's team."

"Turtwig-eh-Grotle was born to battle, I guess," Yurie said as she stuck a piece of butterscotch bread into her mouth.


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

A simple chapter. I'm not sure what I have planned for the next chapter exactly. All that I have in my notes is "Pokémon Tower - Mizuki Returns" So, I guess we'll see that biker gang come back in some sort of capacity.

And then, we're going to get into the first "movie" story for "Kickin' It In Kanto." I'm planning on doing something very different.

REVIEWS:

CrescentApple - "Logan was... odd. Mahou told him to her face she had a crush on him, but he still didn't understand? I can't buy that. My fav. trainer traveled vonsis get entl and her never heard of the term "crush" before? I think he was playing dumb so because he liked Yurie, or to spare Mahou the idea that he might meet back. I'm not sure. I don't see Logan dim at all in this regard. And the battle was so so funny! Logan's behavior with Snorlax was unexpected and brilliant! I like Charmander's confidence, even if he lost . And... well, at least Snorlax didnt try to hit Logan this time, just flicked him away haha. Seshiru battling is cool, but be between the two, I like Logan's are of battling more, I guess because he's more amusing. Cant wait!" - I kind of saw the "crush" exchange similar to the scene in Harry Potter. "You're a wizard, Harry." "A-a what?" "A wizard." Harry knows what a wizard is, but he's surprised by the notion, so he asks "A what?" Same with Logan. He knows what a crush is, but he's surprised by it.

pokemonking0924 - "Another confession this time Maleah confessed to Logan about her crush on him, wonder what will happen between those two the next time they meet. The Saffron gym was a challenge for Logan especially since the gym leader could read his mind. Logan has made some good progress to help Charmander warm up to battles and it helps that there was no crowd this time, but the fire type still loss despite putting up a good fight. But Logan using Snorlax and her wild battle style to make her own choices in battle without Logan to prevent the gym leader from reading his mind was quite exciting. In the end Snorlax did listen to some of his commands during the end of that battle and Sleep Talks randomness won the battle. I also feel like Logan made a small step forward to getting Snorlax to obey him. A baby step but its still progress no matter how small. I also like that little disagreement Logan and Yurie had over dinner, they sounded like an old married couple." - I wanted Maleah and Omori to sort of be foils to Yurie and Logan. Once Yurie finds out about Maleah, her response will be a bit different to Logan's reaction to Omori.